Nine pickup trucks handed over to Unity State for enhancing community security and law enforcement

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) handed over nine pick-up trucks to the Bureau for Community Security and Small Arms Control (BCSSAC) for community security patrol missions in all the counties in Unity State. This will boost police presence at community level and enhance community security by extending state presence and law enforcement in areas that were inaccessible or prone to conflict.

The decision to supply vehicles to counties was in response to the solutions identified by community members during county consultation exercises. These consultations brought together village elders, traditional authorities; youth, women and religious leaders; local and state government officials; and community members to discuss and find local solutions to their problems. It was during these consultations that people specifically requested the presence of police in their communities.

Speaking at the hand-over ceremony at BuluK Police Headquarters in Juba, Hon. Alison Manani Magaya, Minister of Interior, stressed upon the importance of peace and security in bringing about a positive change in the lives of the people in the country andthanked UNDP for supporting the South Sudan Police Services (SSPS), and peace and security in South Sudan.

Dr. Riak Gok Majok, Head, BCSS, urged UNDP’s Community Security and Arms Control (CSAC) Project to expand to the remaining four states – Central Equatoria, Western Equatoria, and Western and Northern Bahr el Ghazal States where the CSAC project has not been rolled out, so that communities in these states can also benefit from their support.

In his inaugural speech, Rtd. Brig. Gen. Christo Fataki, Director, BCSS, said the security remains a major factor for economic and social stability and sustainable development in South Sudan. Commenting on the handover of trucks, he said the exercise signifies importance UNDP attaches to security and development and their commitment to maintain peace in South Sudan.

Gen. Aciul Tito Madut, Inspector General of Police, SSPS described the vision of his police force as safety and security for all people in South Sudan. “We have adopted a community policing policy to reach our vision and we hope these vehicles will address the community’s need for physical security so that they may focus on economic and social security”.

Sam Muhumure, UNDP CSAC Project Manager was positive that the vehicles will extend state authority and help mitigate the root causes of violent conflict in all nine counties of Unity State as they will allow police to serve the direct security needs of communities.He gave a brief overview of the community consultation process and said that the consultation reports provide a platform for other development partners to address the root causes of violent conflict that were expressed from the community perspective.

The European Union has contributed USD 2.5 million to support CSAC activities in Unity State that will strengthen community security and rule of law. The funding has enabled the community consultation process and is supporting conflict-sensitive development projects like construction of police posts, water points and introduction to mechanized farming to reduce food insecurity and thereby reduce communal violence. It has also provided transportation and radio communication equipment to the South Sudan Police Service (SSPS), extending their writ to conflict prone areas. The funding will also help roll out a national public information campaign that seeks to raise community awareness about the threats from possessing and using small arms and light weapons, and local conflict mitigation and peacebuilding.